Art of and machine foe manufacturing stiffening bibs and blades



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

AQHOUSE. ART OF AND MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING STIFPBNING RIB$ ANDBLADES.

No. 261,717. Patented July 25, 1-882.

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(No Model.) SSheets-Sheet 2.

J. A. HOUSE.

ART OF AND MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING STIFEENING RIBS AND BLADES.. N0.261,717. Patented July .25, 1882 '3 Sheets-Sheet 3. 1

(No Model.)

' ,J.A.HOUSE.. ART OF AND MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING STIFFENING RIBS ANDBLADES.

, 1 2 1, 17, Patented Ju1 y25,'1882. -j

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. HOUSE, OF BRIDGEPORT,OONNEGT1GUT, ASSIGNOR TO WARNER BROTHERS,OF SAME PLACE AND NEW YORK, N. Y.

ART OF AND MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING STIFFENING RIBS AND BLADES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 261,717, dated July 25,1882.

Application filed February 11, 1881. (No model.)

1 To all whom it may concern:

View; Fig. 3, a sectional elevation, and Fig. 4

Be it known that I, JAMES ALFORD HoUs of Bridgeport, Fairlield county,Connecticut, have invented certain Improvements in the Art of andMachines for Man ufacturingStiffening Ribs and Blades, of which thefollowing is the specification.

The object of my invention is to connect together a series of bundles offiber, so as to form a strip or sheet of any required width in whichsaid cords or bundles shall be parallel to the length, and this object Ieffect by the method and means hereinafter described, and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of amachine for forming the described strips. Fig. 2 is an end a planthereof; Fig. 5, an enlarged detached view of the parts at the pointwhere the ribs are introduced; Figs. 6 to 9, views illustrating theconstruction of the strips; and Fig. 10

is a perspective view, showing one of the needles.

While myinvention maybe used for the manufacture of any kind of materialor fabric in which parallel longitudinalfibersareconnected, it isspecially intended to be employed in making corset stiffeners from stiffvegetable fibers-as,forinstance,tampico orIxtlefiberswhich may be formedinto bundles a, so as to constitute stiff continuous ribs, by bindingthe same together by overlying threads, or may be collected froma massand separated into bundles justprior to connecting the latter together,as hereinafter described.

The cords or ribs a, as, or after being formed of parallelstraightfibers, are brought parallel to each other, as shown in Fig. 5,and are then compacted and united into one strip by means of anysuitable number of cross-threads, which are woven or sewed,braided,orotherwise combined with the main cords a in such manner as to bind thelatter all together into one flat continuous piece. Various means maybeused for effecting such union of cords or ribs and threads.OnewhichIhavefoundmosteffective is illustrated in the drawings, whichrepresents a machine whereby the ribs are brought and fed parallel toeach other and united by a shuttle-thread, I), carried by a shuttle, B,carrierthread I), laid by means of a carrier, 0, and needle-threads bpassed between the various ribs by reciprocating needles D.

The frame A of the machine is constructed with a race, as, for theshuttle B, the face-plate d of the race being perforated or havingtransverse tubes at inserted therein for the passage of the ribs orcords a, which cross the race above the shuttle to-geared feed-rolls EE, an intermittent rotation being imparted to the latter by means of apawl, d engaging with a ratchet-wheel, d, on the shaft of one of therolls and carried by an arm, d swinging on said shaft and reciprocatedfrom any moving part of the machine. Any suitable means of adjustment isused whereby the reciprocation of the said arm may be varied to alterthe feed.

The needle-frame or arm F is secured to or swings on a cross-bar orshaft, F, and is reciprocated by means of a cam, F on the main shaft G,an arm, f, attached to the needle-bar or frame, carrying a lug, f, whichenters a camgroove in the side of said cam F The needles D are carriedat the front end of the needle-arm parallel to each other, and set atsuch an angle that when the arm is down they will lie close to theface-plate d in grooves 1' thereof and between the tubes or openings d,the needle-threads b passing from the eyes diagonally across theshuttle-race over the edge of an overhanging plate, 01 to the fabric, asshown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, so that the shuttle can readily andsurely pass between the needles and their threads. Needles of differentforms may be used. I have found that most efficient to consist of a thinsteel plate, bent or doubled until the sides are nearly in contact,leaving just sufficient space for the passage of a thread, which maytherefore be laid easily into the needle, all as shown in Fig. 10.

The needle-threads are carried from bobbins or spools B each through atension device, B, secured at the rear of the frame, so that therequired tension can be secured for each separate thread, and from thetension device to a transverse perforated guide-bar, B thence through aperforated plate carried by a take-up lever, H, vibrating on the shaftF,

and having an arm carrying a stud, 12, adapted to a camgroove in theside of the cam F such .movement being thus imparted to the take-up aswill release or tighten the threads, as necessary to secure the desiredresults.

The thread-carrier 0 consists of a flat plate, having an eye, m, andspring-lips m m], and reciprocated on or above the face plate 01 bymeans of a vibrating lever, I, pivoted at the rear end to the frame, andcarrying a stud,f entering a groove in a cam, 1 by which the requisitemovements are imparted to the lever in proper time. The carrierthread 1)passes from one of the bobbins through one of the tension devices to aneye, g, in the lever I, thence beneath the lips or fingers m m to theeye on of the carrier.

The shuttle is reciprocated in the ordinary manner by means of a lever,J, vibrated by means of a cam, J.

As the cords or bundles a are carried through the channels cl by theaction of the feed-rollers, the operations of the different parts of themachine, the needles being up, and the shuttle and carrier both at thesame side, Fig. 6, will be as follows: The needles will first descend,carrying the threads between the cords, as shown in Fig. 7, thuspresenting the needlethreads for the passage of the shuttle B, whichthen moves to the left, thereby carrying the shuttle-thread 1) acrossthe needle-threads below the fabric. The needles then rise, drawing upthe shuttle-thread against the under side of the fabric, and holding itby the series of loops of needle-thread which pass between the cords orribs a. The carrier G then moves to the left, carrying its thread I)over the cords to the position shown in Fig. 8, after which the needlesagain descend, each needle thread looping over the overlaidcarrier-thread and binding it to the top of the fabric. Theneedle-threads are then crossed by the shuttlethread as the shuttlemoves to the right, the needles again rise, and the carrier assumes itsfirst position. The continuance of these operations results in firmlybinding the cords, ribs, or bundles in a fiat fabric or strip, which maybe made of any desired length, however short the individual fibers orsplints may be, and by properly shaping and arranging the feed tubes orchannels at, and by the use of the requisite number of needles the stripmay be made of any desired width or thickness.

A strip or rib of bone or horn may be combined with one or more of thecords of Ixtle fiber, thus forming a compound strip.

In some instances it is desirable to coat or size the material, in whichcase the ribs a may be passed through a bath before entering thechannels d,- or the strip, after being formed, may be passed throughsuch bath.

It is not necessary, when tampieo fibers are used, to bind them intoribs, as they may be fed loosely through the channels 61, and will thenbe bound together by the operations described. To hold the ribscompactly together,

just as the binding threads are interlocked they are passed through achannel (just large enough to receive the finished strips) formedbetween adj ustable blocks a n, arranged above the shuttle-race, asshown. These blocks may be adjusted to receive strips of any width.

It will be apparent that arrangements may be made for increasing ordecreasing the number of needles D, and for varying the form, number,and arrangement of channels d.

Itis notabsolutelynecessarytousethethreadcarrier (J, as themeedles orseries of ribs may be moved laterally after each upward motion of theneedles, so thatthey will, onagaindescending, pass eachbetweendifferentribs than those between which they descended at the previousmovement, the needle-threads being locked in such case wholly by theshuttle-thread.

1 do not here claim the article produced by the means described, as thiswas patented to me June 7, 1881.

I claim 1. The mode described for formingstiffeningstrips from stifffibers, consisting in first bringing the fibers parallel to each other;second, forming bundles or cords of such fibers; third, arranging aseries of these bundles or cords parallel to each other; and, finally,uniting them by passing threads across and between the bundles andinterlocking the same.

2. The combination, in a machine for forming flat strips from stifffibers, of a channeled plate for receiving and guiding bundles or ribsformed of said fibers with the channels arranged to maintain saidbundles parallel in close proximity, devices for feeding the bundlesthrough said channels, and appliances whereby binding-threads arecarried across and between the bundles and interlocked, as set forth. 3.The combination, in a machine for uniting ribs or bundles of stifffibers, of a channeled plate, feeding appliances, a shuttle, and devicesfor reciprocating the same, a series of needles, and appliances wherebythey are reciprocated between the channels, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the frame A, provided with a shuttlerace and ashuttle, B, of an arm or frame carrying a series of nee- IIS dles, achanneled plate, d, through which to pass a series of ribs, feed-rollersE E, a threadcarrier, 0, and appliances for reciprocating the shuttle,needle-carrier, and thread-carrier and for operating the feed devices,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with thefeed-rolls, of the adjustable blocks a n,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES ALFORD HOUSE.

Witnesses:

C. H. DIMOND, J. CARR.

